It’s a second straight Federer-less semifinal at Wimbledon. With the six-time champion and pre-tournament favorite watching from home, there is added anticipation for a new Wimbledon winner this season.

At the very least we’ll have a first-time finalist in London, but the storylines this weekend haven’t changed: Can Rafael Nadal repeat and when will Murray finally win? Well, at the start I picked Nadal to beat Djokovic in the final, and both are left. So…

Sorry, Andy.

On to the matches.

JW Tsonga v. Novak Djokovic

Tsonga and Djokovic are first on Centre Court at 1pm. We all remember Djokovic winning his first career Grand Slam at the Australian back in 2008. The Serb is since a much, much better player. But Tsonga is as well. The Frenchman just obliterated Roger Federer in the final three sets of their match on Wednesday, and if JW can stay on that type of roll he’s tough to beat on any surface.

As I said yesterday, Federer in some ways let Tsonga dictate. Djokovic won’t. Novak has one of the best service returns in the game and even if Tsonga remains in that serving zone, I think Djokovic will get a few more break chances than Federer did.

Tsonga is also a hot and cold player and I just feel Djokovic can and will mix it up enough to get him out of rhythm and into some discomfort.

That said, Djokovic didn’t look that great in a win over Bernard Tomic in the quarterfinals. However, Tomic is a tricky player. One who plays with little pace, a rarity these days. By contrast, Tsonga will come out pounding the ball and I think Novak’s defense should be able to blunt it.

These two have played seven times and Tsonga has won five of them. A clear edge to Tsonga. Their last meeting went five sets last year at the Australian Open. I think Tsonga is playing great tennis but Djokovic is 46-1 on the year and I think he’ll have too much experience and too much defense for Tsonga to overcome. I’ll take Novak on a whim in four.

After the year Novak’s had – 43-match match win streak, etc – and he comes away with just one Slam and two SFs that would be by some measures a failure. Tomorrow, he gets to No. 1.
Rafael Nadal v. Andy Murray

In the main event, Nadal has dominated Murray at Wimbledon 6-0 in sets in two meetings. In fact each of those wins propelled Nadal to the title. Will this be another? I think so.

Murray has been playing pretty well the last two months and remember on the clay he took a set off Nadal. But Rafa got back on track at the French blanking Murray in three sets.

And then there’s the injury issue. If Nadal is 100% healthy why is he getting injections in foot? I don’t know. Anyway, I expect Rafa and his foot to be okay, hopefully.

Murray’s game is still far too passive, and until he can parlay it into a big time best-of-five win, I’ll continue to go against him. Also, I still feel the pressure gets to Andy, especially at Wimbledon where Murray’s only won one set in two semifinal matches.

Murray, though, has the game to beat Nadal. There’s no denying that. I just don’t think he’ll do it.
I like Nadal in four sets.

In honesty, taking Nadal and Djokovic in four sets is poor. It’s almost a cop-out. I give both Tsonga and Murray a decent shot at the upset and it wouldn’t surprise me if the top two players – Rafa and Novak – lose. It’s that close. I just think experience and pressure plays a huge role. Nadal and Djokovic have both shown they are up to the task in Grand Slams. Murray and Tsonga have yet to do it (win Slams). Maybe they will. Maybe they will this weekend. Regardless, it should be fun to watch.

The two semifinals are on ESPN and on NBC. If you are on the west coast, bad luck, I guess.

Rafa is 6 slams away from Fed. We’ll see. He is already in decline, compared to his form in 2010. Next year we will see the real downfall of Nadal – oh wait, he will be 26… ya, everyone goes down after that.

Basically, if Nadal (who is 25) wins, he will have a 50% chance to surpass Fed’s total, and he must do it agaisnt Djoko, to once again kill his spirit, specially after the 4 losses this season. He will still never lose to Djoko in a Slam. If he loses, to Djoko, he will have lost on hard, clay and grass, and a Grand Slam match to Djoko, and n.1:tToo much too lose at once.

He is not getting any younger, and Fed, as of now, won his last Slam at 29 and a hath. I doubt Nadal will be able to do that. So he will have more 3 good years as a favorite in RG, contender in Wimby and a small shot, only with another planet alaignment as US Open 2010, to win another hard court Slam.

That’s why his RG-Wimby combo are so important to get, the most he can.

I think if he wins it, he will be GOAT or co-GOAT, if he loses, Fed’s record will be pretty safe.

Losing Wimby, to Djoko will have a huge mental aspect in Nadal, it’s basically the worst thing could happen to him right now.

If he loses to Murray, loses n.1 but will again delay the: “Djoko never beat Nadal in a Slam”. He already scape in RG, I don’t think he will scape this time.

If Djoko is in the final, he will be champion, we quickly forget that the guy lost 1 match out of his last 50!!

I would worry about your own guy, Fed is already been there done that and holds the most dominant records ever, and he still proves he is capable. Rafa is not. Take a bathroom break and hope Novak loses tomorrow, otherwise it’s “Adios #1 ranking”

Trufan – That’s all been said about Rafa before. Next year might be his best year yet. Haven’t others with less skill and heart won slams at 26, 27, 28 and such. I think Rafa has more than just 1 or 2 slams left in him. That being said I find it incredible that out of a field of 120 players the same very few players have won all the slams the last several years. I’m a Rafa fan, but if Rafa loses tomorrow then I’d like to see Murray or Tsonga win, just to bring someone new into the fold. And wouldn’t the Brits just go crazy. I’d like to see that.

I think Rafa edges Murray on experience, but has a world #4 with a Queen’s Club title in hand ever been more under the radar as a semifinalist? I see Nole winning as well. Like Sean I also think a Murray-Tsonga Queen’s Club rematch is not out of the question.

As for this event determining the GOAT? Eh 50% of the slams since 1988 have been on hard courts. 4 of the 9 Super 9/Masters are on outdoor hard courts since 1990. I think Clay and Grass have not been the key surface for tennis over the past 20+ years. Another USO would help Rafa’s overall status more than another Wimbledon. Still, Rafa has a case already in the GOAT debate and any Slam obviously buttresses that case. With the head-to-head advantage and the singles’ Gold Medal I don’t think Rafa necessarily needs 16 to convincingly be the GOAT, but 11 is not enough to jump him there. Fed’s finals, semifinals and quarterfinal streaks, along with all time slam and all time slam finals records give him a lofty spot. Throw in the all time hard court and grass court winning streaks and his tie with Lendl and Sampras for the most season ending titles, and I think Rafa has a case, but still has work to do.

It is quite difficult to predict the winners in the semi finals. But I would pick Nadal and Djokovic to reach the finals and I then expect Djokovic to beat Nadal to claim his first Wimbledon title. That will give the Tennis World a new Champion to cherish. Although I would also like Murray to win, yet I cannot see him getting past Nadal. That might happen, if Nadal plays below his level, but it never happens and that tells the invincibility of Nadal. Even players like Federer and Djokovic have off days, but not Nadal. He plays the best tennis or good Tennis. I have never seen him play bad tennis.

Murray. It’s time to bring balance to the Force. To prevent the Dark Side of ugly form, improper technique, and an over-reliance on string technology to take over. Right the ship of the universe and defeat Nadal. Federer is the best player to ever swing a racquet. He merely has the misfortune of being five years older than the physical specimen/freak-show known as Nadal. Andy, you must, you must, you must (for you, too, play the game correctly) right the ship of the universe so that the GOAT’s record remains secure from this athletically-gifted, but technically-challenged (see Nadal’s numerous injuries. Well, what do you expect when you play the game all goofy and wrong, Rafa?) upstart’s insurgent campaign. It’s on your racquet, Andy. Hit your forehand like you mean it and be smart.

Was gr8ly cheered reading Nole had to meet Fed four times b4 beating him. If you keep pounding that door, one of these days it will open. The important thing is to keep putting yourself in that position and this is Andy’s third semi, a fabulous achievement. One more push Andy!
madmax: “sick with excitement” doesn’t quite do it, but “sick” does ;)

Those who think Nadal will inevitably win seem to forget that Murray beat him in a US Open semi. What I don’t want to see is Andy winning an epic five setter and then being mentally drained for the final.
Ben please stop all this overblown nonsense about Federer’s “legacy”. I get so sick of that word in sports discussions. World statesmen, great scientists or creative artists – they have legacies. This is tennis, it’s just a bloody game.

Fed’s legacy is already secure. I don’t know why people go on about it so much. Like Skeezer said, done that, what’s more to do?

I posted this on the wrong thread I think Kimmi, but may be read this and take heart?

Roger Federer’s loss to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, in the quarter-finals at Wimbledon, was a strangely undramatic chapter in the majestic decline of this incomparable tennis player. He won the first two sets and then lost the next three, which was something that had never happened to him in a Grand Slam tournament, but the outcome was already clear quite early in the third set. At one-all, Tsonga broke Federer’s serve with an eruption of power, accuracy, and confidence that he kept up for the rest of the match. He was in what players call “the zone,” when every stroke works and every ball goes in. Federer in his prime, which is to say from 2005 to 2007, could almost certainly have found ways to divert the juggernaut, but Federer at twenty-nine (he turns thirty in August) seems to have trouble tapping into that magical power.

What he’s lost, if anything, is hard to pinpoint. He’s played at a very high level this spring, stopping Novak Djokovic’s forty-eight-match winning streak in the semifinals of the French Open, and winning enough matches to maintain his computer ranking as the world’s third-best player. His serve is better than it was last year, his shot-making still confounds opponents and dazzles spectators, and his net play—when he bothers to use it—is crisper and more decisive than that of his younger rivals. The only evidence of a decline that I can see is that his anticipation may be a fraction of a second slower. (Federer used to have a sixth sense about where his opponent’s next shot would go, and he’d get there with time to spare.) The fact that he hasn’t won a Grand Slam tournament since the 2010 Australian Open doesn’t appear to trouble him. At the press conference after his loss to Tsonga, he said he “definitely can” add to his record sixteen Grand Slam championships. There’s no good reason to doubt that he will, but I’m having doubts. The competition at the top today, with Nadal and Djokovic and Murray and del Potro—and Tsonga, if he can keep playing the way he has this week—is more ferocious than anything I’ve seen in seven decades of tennis-watching. And you can’t help wondering, after winning sixteen majors and being the world’s dominant player for so many seasons, how much does he have left to prove?

Some sportswriters are beginning to question Federer’s reputation as the greatest tennis player who ever lived. His losing record against Nadal, his great rival, is usually cited as evidence against him. The argument is absurd, of course. You can’t compare him to Tilden, or Budge, or Laver, who played with different equipment, under different conditions, and against different opponents; and Nadal, whose dominance flows from brute power and killer topspin, is nearly five years younger than Federer—a whole generation in tennis terms. Opinions on degrees of tennis greatness are necessarily subjective, and mine rests on the pleasure principle. No player has ever given this besotted spectator more moments of complete joy than Roger Federer. Watching a superb athlete play this difficult game with the level of skill and grace and imagination that Federer brings to it is an ongoing miracle, as far as I’m concerned, and I’m learning to savor the great moments, and to take the losses in stride. Absolutely. I really am. Still, wouldn’t it be terrific if he beat Nadal in the finals of the U.S. Open?

Sorry everyone, just for the federer fans, I know it’s Murray’s and Novak’s day today (in the british press), so I won’t spoil the party.

Every one just assumes the title would be between Rafael “First Aid” Nadal, Novak “lord Farquaad from SHREK 1″ Djokovic and Andy “Never-to-win-a-major” Murray. Has it ever occurred to you that BIG WILL has a chance. Or is it because he “looks” slightly different and doesnt have the tennis pedigree.

“This is tennis, it’s just a bloody game.” So’s everything else, Colin. Scientists, novelists (statesmen?- huh!) – they play their games. Civilization lasts for a split micro second in terms of even the planet’s history. All legacies are ultimately illusory. As George Orwell pointed out(and I remember how shocked I was when reading his essay as a teenager) even Shakespeare will be completely forgotten. So why not play with the idea of sports legacies – within their own terms, they have validity. But there are many legacies – as many as there are utterly distinctive players. Thus Santoro could have a legacy, be part of a sort of tradition. And so on.

My son reckons Tsonga could beat Djokovic – open -and could then beat Nadal. On the other hand, he thinks Murray would be too tricky for him. He wants Tsonga to win, and dislikes Nadal (and he’s not a Fed fan – there’s a bit of a myth growing here that anyone who doesn’t like Nadal’s game must be a sour grapes Fedman;only sometimes true).

So, I said to him, you must want Nadal to beat Murray. Aha, tricky, eh? That’s the trouble with these triangular things…b.t.w.jane, since I mentioned Tom to you, he’s just finished his 3rd year in Chinese, decided on a hunch to email a film company in Hong Kong, they invited him for an internship, and he’s off next week. Had to cancel a music festival in Croatia! Everything moves so quickly in the world of the young. Left behind are we who are old and drab and watch telly…..

If Nadal wins it will be a well earned title by defeating Murray and Djoker. Tsonga sorry no chance. Tsonga’s mentally fragile and it will show in today’s match…mark my words. I think it will be Nole vs Djoker again 80% sure but 20% possibility that it will be Murray vs Djoker. Either way, Novak is going to win this Wimbledon. His first Slam other than the Australian! His third GS! His dream slam! He will become No.1. Times are good for Djokovic fans. GO NOVAK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

grendel, Nole v Tsonga match on first, so depending on outcome, your son could change his allegiance. No big deal, I know if I’d lived in Tudor times I’d have changed my religion every day if necessary.

Honestly, Tsonga could really take down Djokovic. He has been playing far better than Novak this fortnight, imho. As much as I’d love Nole to win and seize the #1 ranking, he’s gonna have to be extremely sharp if Jo plays anything like he did against Roger in the last 3 sets.

No clue what to expect from Murray – Nadal. Could be a straight set affair from Rafa once again if Murray’s serve is off, but if he can bring his A game… who knows, anything’s possible!

I don’t feel like Djoko can beat Nadal on grass either, Ben. He doesn’t have the same confidence on this surface as he does on clay or hard courts. Tsonga seems to be right in his comfort zone on grass, though, and has got the kind of firepower that can bother Rafa (and he actually gave Nadal a thorough whooping at the AO in 2008). Tsonga’s actually playing a pretty legit grass game, getting a lot of points at the net where he’s always had a pretty good touch.

Yeah, Tsonga was complaining about it in french when they sat down at 6-5. I didn’t catch it either while they were playing. Which is weird cause Nole takes so much more time between points than Tsonga.

Tsonga has always had mental lapses. Even if he were to beat Djoko today playing perfect, I could see him choking in the final. But let’s see, he has also been plagued by injuries which makes it difficult to predict his performances, since he’s been so on and off.

Incredible comeback from Djoko, too bad for Tsonga who choked a bit at the end of the set, but credits to Nole who brought up his level of play consistently throughout the first set, particularly on the return.

Wasn’t the same match. Tsonga came out with guns blazing right away today and his level dropped at the end of the set. Against Roger, he was a bit slow at the beginning of the first set and picked up his game progressively until he was basically unstoppable by the end.

But yes, Dari, I definitely have the feeling that Djoko’s gonna roll. If Tsonga had taken the first set, it would have been a totally different story. If Novak takes the second set, in any case, it seems very, very unlikely that Tsonga can pull the same exploit twice in a row.

yeah but it would be really a surprise for me if tsonga plays that good again today to win vs the djoker —he played an incredible match vs roger ..so tough to do it twice or three times to make championship his–

Agreed, van orten, I don’t see Tsonga pulling off another insane victory like he did over Roger. I mean, Jo basically didn’t falter once in the last 3 sets of the match (hell, he did get broken in the 2nd). It was an insane performance.

does anybody else think that djokers sliding on the green turf is absolutely inappropriate..i mean this is grass not clay ..he still doesnt convince me as a great grass player ..hope he proves me wrong though

Guys, Djoker is sliding beyond the baseline, where the grass has completely worn out and is almost clay! It should anyways not be surprising since he slides routinely on hardcourts. This guy is like rubber..

Btw, even if Novak doesn’t get to the final, or takes the title, he still showed some improvement, every year he is a bit better. I believe if that trend continues, he will be a force on Wimby in the upcoming years.

Djoker looks quite good today(even as he made some routine UF). If he meets Rafa in the final, he has a good shot. He has won grand slams earlier. He has won the last 4 matches against Rafa in straights. It should be interesting. ‘
I think Djoker wins here in straights. Tsonga unlikely to hit the heights he hit against Federer. There for 3 sets, he just did not miss. I think it is close to impossible for him to come from 2 sets down, which looks increasingly the case here..

terrible second set for tsonga ..seriously where is that player that literally dominated roger in the last three sets a few days ago..i guess novak has to thank the swiss maestro for draining tsonga out..kool for novak numero uno after this match..one more match left and his dream will come true holding the wimbly trophy up..

djoker will maybe win this..but nobody nobody questioned him after losing vs fed in roland garros..so its only fair nobody questions fed after losing vs red hot tsonga in quarters ..they are all great players so there is no need to question somebody who is still playing awesome tennis and has a gs record that speaks for himself..i mean fed loses almost always in gs in 5 sets for the last 5-6 years…

Van orten, no should question Fed after losing, it’s not like he lost the match with terrible play, and Tsonga was on fire. He has that 6th gear that rarely happens, but when he plays like that, he is almost untouchable.

Wow what a dominant 2nd set! Now finish it Nole and grab your well deserved. It took winning all matches this year to earn his No.1 and next year he will have to defend it all. I don’t even want to think about it.

Posters were saying earlier that Nole’s game isn’t that good on grass. But yet, here he is. I don’t think this is his best surface either yet he is one set away from the final. Me thinks that speaks volumes of the state of his game right now.
Rafa is watchin and thinkin…….Uh oh.

Agreed, Miki. The way Tsonga played in those last 3 sets, he was nearly unstoppable. Federer said mostly the same thing after the match, that he didn’t feel that bad ’cause he knows Tsonga played at his absolute very best to beat him (and that Fed himself was playing damned well).

Without Novak’s return Tsonga would be hard to beat. Very hard. Commentator said that before this match, Tsonga saved 32 out of 36 BPs throughout the tournament. It’s amazing he broke him 2 times this set, but it has to be said that Tsonga was pretty poor in this 2nd set.

what made fed lose is simple: he didnt ace his ass out of trouble when facing breakpoints in the 3 last sets..its a thin line..almost no margin for errors..points here and there..people seem to forget that fed had so much luck too the years he was unbeatable serving himself out of trouble when needed to..the same that happens with rafa this year..he seems everything but invincible to a lot of expectators but manages somehow to win closest of matches

I don’t know what to think if Novak gets through the final. Both Murray and Nadal are going to be extremely hard to beat. When Murray plays well he is even tougher for Novak than Nadal is, but it’s a GS final and Murray showed he isn’t really mentally strong enough, at least not yet.

Definitely feel like Federer would have beaten Novak if he had made it past Tsonga. But nevermind, Djoko’s my second favorite player after Fed which is another reason I’m always pissed off that they wind up on the same side of the draw nearly every slam.

Maso, didn’t know RF was your favorite too. RF is my favorite too over Novak but for me, Novak has worked SO SO hard this year. RF has achieved so much compared to Novak plus Djoker shows he can beat the Nadal of 2011 which is why I want Nole to win Wimby very badly.

I’ve been a huge Novak fan since late 2006-early 2007. With my father, we really thought he’d be the next #1 and I was sure he’d get there when he won the AO in 2008. His form was superb in the beginning of that season and much resembled the form he’s pulled throughout this whole year. I’m so glad to see him fulfill his potential. And as much as I love RF, I would very much like to see Novak hoist the Wimbledon crown as well. I was really hoping he’d take RG, to be honest!

Oh, I definitely love Tsonga. Hell, I’m French so I’m being a traitor to my country here. But I’ve been hoping for Djoko #1 for a while now! (though obviously, were Tsonga to win, it wouldn’t be a huge disappointment for me =) )

After the QF we saw against Federer, you gotta think Tsonga’s capable of doing just that. But Djoko’s returning is pretty incredible so let’s see what Nole can do. I certainly don’t expect Tsonga to lay down and die here.

@Maso: me neither. Tsonga is quite a hectic player though, you never know when he might come off the boil, but I don’t see it happening here. Nole’s been putting some good returns in, but he’s also been too passive IMHO, he has to go and win it… after all, it wasn’t waiting that’s won him 43 straight matches this year!

@Margot: Tsonga is inconsistent in terms of career. On one match, though, it’s not the first time he’s played like this. I mean, he did make it to the AO final in 08 (after rampaging Nadal in the semis in straights) playing exceptional tennis. He faltered a bit in the final against a more deserving Djokovic but I’m not so surprised here.

Agreed, Oggy. He played way too passive in the tie break particularly, where as Tsonga went for all the big shots and in the end it paid off.

But yeah, it definitely seems like Nole’s going to take this one if he can stay focused. Tsonga played great in the 4th, but Nole definitely blew it. Serving for the match after breaking back and not putting in a single first serve doesn’t help!

BTW Both Tsonga and Fed took bathroom breaks when they played the other day, don’t buy into the one time bathroom break of Fed at AO by Rafa fans , they are just deflecting there own stuff that happens all the time.

Tsonga playing inspired tennis, but Nole seems to have got the ship right again, for now.

This is FINALLY for real no longer a dream! :)))) Djoko=No.1 and in a Wimbledon final!!! How big is this achievement by itself! No.1 in the Fedal era! Really 7.5 years!!! Seemed like forever. Just look what it takes to become No.1.

Yeah, it’s insane the amount of points one needs today to become #1. 4 masters victories this year for Novak, 1 slam victory, a slam semi, another final from last year at the US Open. By 90s standards, that would be insane but it’s something we’ve almost gotten used to with Federer and Nadal!

NOLEEEEEE!!!! Now go and win this and don’t be just satisfied with getting to number 1. After reading that Sports Illustrated article I now realize how much this meant to him! Go and spank Nadal in the Final! BRAVO NOLLLLEEEE!! TI SI CAR!!!

So now is NBC gonna play the other semi delayed or live? They should only be shortly into it by noon, they should puck it up live.
BTW, what the frack is pimm’s exactly?!
I’m so nervous and excited for Andy.
Like Anna on another thread said, I kinda wanna see the brit go nuts and Andy win this all.

grendel, that’s great news about your son! An internship, how lucky. Soon he’ll be a fabulous famous filmmaker.

margot, so happy Nole did it. I wasn’t cleaning as too early in the morning. but my god, that was rather tense. I was pacing and nailbiting. I didn’t have a coffee until just now as thought caffeine might give self heart palpitations. lol.

There is no doubt that #2 is a position that doesn’t really disturb Nadal. I’m sure he enjoys #1 more as I imagine any tennis player would, but it’s certainly never prevented him from winning the biggest tournaments.

No, but I got a lot of respect for the guy. I pull my fucking hair out every time he plays Federer and he drives me absolutely nuts. But you have to be blind to not respect the guy’s talent. He’s one of the greatest in history without a doubt. But I just don’t dig his style of play.

The main thing for me is that it was one of Nole’s childhood ambitions to some day be the number one player in the world, and he did it. Even more, he had to squeeze, push and – at times -bludgeon his way in between two of the greatest players in tennis history to get there. I could care less how long he stays at number 1, although it would be nice if he could stay there for a little while. What matters is that he got there and who he’s had to surpass to get there. He started this season as number 3. He took number 2 from Fed at IW and number 1 here. That’s a lovely accomplishment for Nole and I am proud of him.

@Dory:
No, but I got a lot of respect for Nadal. I pull my hair out every time he plays Federer and he drives me absolutely nuts. But you have to be blind to not respect the guy’s talent. He’s one of the greatest in history without a doubt. But I just don’t dig his style of play.

“I pull my hair out every time he plays Federer and he drives me absolutely nuts. But you have to be blind to not respect the guy’s talent”.- Maso said it best!
Anyhoo, its novak’s day already. Hope it will be Murray’s too!

I’m definitely hoping for a Murray – Djokovic final. If Nadal makes it to the final, though, which is highly likely, Nole will have to be more consistent than he has been in any match so far this fortnight. He’s gonna have to bring the clay season form back for sure.

Can’t expect Nadal to make mistakes in order to beat him. You have to outplay him. Murray’s doing a great job so far on his serve and except in this previous game, is doing pretty well on the Nadal serve as well.

He fell to the floor after match point, though Tsonga challenged the match point ace (though he knew it was in). Then after a hug at the net and a handshake with the chair umpire, he ran around the court waving his fist all Nole-like. He was quite happy, understandably so!

Agreed, van orten, I’m sure he’d enjoy his new ranking more if it came with the Wimbledon crown. If Nadal comes through, it will be a *hell* of a match in which Nole will need to be at his absolute best. Which he’s done this season many times, so let’s hope he can bring it on Sunday.

Kimmi you are Canadian, too, no? Happy Canada day to you, too!
tennisfan76 are you on west coast? Bummer. Shame if you’re forced to stream Wimbledon semi. That’s just not right.
Great deep return of that second serve MUZZ

@Van Orten. true. but you can’t deny that Djoker and Murray have not created sparks together on court the way the others have. i am rooting against Nadal but Djoker and Nadal have made some beautiful tennis together.

tennisfansince76, but the AO final was an anomally. Think of their match at Rome! That was a classic Nole-Murray dogfight. Often they have tight matches. I think if it is Nole-Murray, Murray is the favorite as he is awesome on this surface and will have huge crowd support.

he saved his butt here nadal ..he is only dead when his dead that guy…gotta take ur chance muzzaa otherwise u will be cooked..now the break is coming..and nadal will ease momentum quickly…god tennis nowadays is harsh ;-)

wow he does not deserve to win murray
he cannot miss that shot …nadal is always the same old story guys dont expect him to lose ever ever ever again..how does he do that???someone pls explain..i mean he is clearly not that good or am i totally delusional and lacking my medicine…what is wrong with all those pros unable to beat that guy ..i would go completly nuts playing him

Just as I worried.. Break for Nadal.. This is why it is so difficult to play him. You have few chances, that you absolutely need to take. And you cannot relax for a moment.. Still, early in the first set.. Andy needs to keep fighting..

its over guys !!! i lost complete faith in modern pro tennis..with nadal winning all his matches because of his mental bullshit attitude that gives his opponents the creeps…woww one point goes wrong and everything goes upside down…incredible..what shit sport this has become i really mean that…

He has to learn to keep the pedal to the metal in big matches like this. He was almost going up a break in the second and then, yeah, as tennisfansince76 said, it’s like he went into freefall. He needs to forget about this set and just focus on regrouping next set. He can beat Rafa, I believe he can. But he needs to keep it up, with no letdowns or self-doubt.

I do not have other words than:thank YOU Nole our golden boy.Whole Serbia is with YOU today.Our hearts are YOURS for ever.Thank YOU all non Serbian fans for supporting our Nole,we are not going to forget that.
Jane You deserve special thanks,god bless You.

It’s just so clear why Murray has not won a slam yet. This is frustrating, it’s pissing me off, but here we are. He was at the top of his game, and one little thing, and he’s not able to recover over the course of a set. It’s not over, Nadal’s breakable today, but if Murray keeps offering him points, the confidence is going to set in more and it will be game over. Man, this is just wrong.

why did someone like nadal show up–tennis would be so amazing without him.. its ok to win from time to time like that ..but not always it is so frustrating,.because luck is always on his side..will it ever end..???

It’s not the injury, it’s his mental state, come on! His game started slipping after he made that huge miss that would have given him break points. He’s struggling with inner demons now. Hope he can break back, ’cause I don’t wanna see what happens if Nadal takes another set.

ahahahah wade ..come on this is the weak point of all nadalties we all know that..because if u would do some research on spanish sports and its development the last 10-12 years we all know something is not right..ever heard of contador and the other very dubious spanish victories in almost every sport….there will be on big bang anytime soon if this wont stop ,.wait for it

Murray’s breaking down, period. This is pretty pitiful to watch, considering the first set. How can you be so damned fragile and be #4 for so long, with Masters victories and everything? Sorry, venting, but this is frustrating. He takes the first set this is what he does with it.

the worst part is thait wasnt even actually a break point that he wasted but only a point that would have given him 2 bps..maybe nadal would have saved them anyways ..completely unaccaptable what happened from there on ..

Nadal’s being consistent as always, even when he makes errors,it’s still less than most. And whereas Murray was playing very cleanly in the first set, he’s definitely been making more errors than Rafa since the incident in the 2nd set. Hope Murray can react before it’s too late.

This semi is a gigantic disappointment. A pure catastrophe from Andy. And now Nadal’s picking it up a gear. Heh, shoulda seen that coming, Murray, giving him so many chances to get in there since the 2nd set.

In all fairness Rafa has picked up his game- serve-wise most evidently. rafas game was pretty much non-existent in the first set because Murray wouldn’t allow it
Still, Andy has to stay in this, he needs to shake it off the way nadal shook off getting blasted in the first.
MUZZ go!

am just a little hot temptered right now…but federer has a complete different way more decent style that makes it easier to accept his genious,..he wins actually by normally alway producing more winners…i grew up like that..offense is better than defense…u always with a good offense..then nadal came and everything changed..my opinion,..i understand people rooting for nadal..as i accept that there is left and right …but it is not out of nowhere that fed has a bigger fan base folks

Respect to Nadal, for sure, he is mostly playing his usual game now. But once again, Andy let him get into that gear by playing a simply awful second set. And so far, a pretty terible third as well. Here we go, double break. Congrats, Andy, 6-2 is headed your way a second time.

Yes, credit to Rafa as well. He raised his game after the first set. He is serving very well now and making less errors. But coupled with that, I feel that Murray stopped pushing. In the first set, he didn’t let Rafa dictate. Every match, pretty much, takes two to determine the outcome.

Rafa continuously increasing his first serve percentage in the match.. Andy going in the opposite direction.. Pretty much explains why this match is in this state.. Andy played at a pretty high level in the first. Rafa not at his best.. Which resulted in a close first set.. SEcond and Third Rafa played at a pretty high level. Andy was poor!

Andy just has no game to hurt Rafa on this surface. He won the first set yes, but after that he has not even remotely looked like attacking.. He is just responding to Nadal. It is impossible for beat Nadal playing like this.. That is my worry with Djoker as well. He is in the final, but hardly has looked attacking. He has won by playing consistent tennis. Which is why I feel that Nadal will win this wimbledon..

yeah but fed will always be more admired and more loved for his unique style ,..who will miss nadal when he retires other than real nadal tennis fans…fed will be missed by the world..think about that and thats why you hate him so much wade…a great champion but never the number one in the heart of the vast majority..plain simple truth!!!

Dari, what is happening is that Murray is playing very passively.. Nadal will eat you for breakfast all day when you are passive.. Plus Nadal is exploiting Murray’s weaknesses very well and Andy’s game, especially his FH is not holding up!

Rafa is the obvious favorite to win the title, let’s face it. He has two Wimbledon titles, a Queens title, and It will be his fifth Wimbledon final. Nole has just today reached his FIRST grass final. Talk about a hurdle, lol.

I thought with Murray’s 2 Queens titles he would have a pretty good shot at the upset, but nope.

one last comment…i admire rafa winning with a broken foot lol …number 1 vs number 2 on sunday..lets wait and see if djoker is still in his head -…lets hope for a great match with nadal really fighting not only receiving as he just admitted in the interview lots of easy errors from murray…lets hope for the best..

the funny thing is fed fans or nole fans or plain anti nadal fans still hang around here even though it was a tremendously frustrating watching that match,.hang on guys its only over when its over…go fed go fed us open its yours to win this year and nole i wish you the match of your life on sunday…and send this incredible monster of tennis back home to his vulcan island !!!

Kimmi, why not try a sports psychologist? It surely couldn’t hurt. That said, Rafa went up in form, and he got on a roll, and then he is nearly impossible to stop, as we have seen so many times. But I do think Muzza also played poor 2nd and 3rd sets. He was pretty good in the foruth but by then Rafa had seized the day, the win and the momentum.

Your delusional and obsessive about Fed, even his best die hard fans up here don’t post as much as you about the guy. Does he worry you that much at almost 30?

Own up to it, you wouldn’t be butt picking Fed unless you were threatened by him.why else post? Your hatred towards Fed and posts indicate you are. Why waste a post on Fed if YOU think he isn’t relevant? And don’t turn it around to something else, that is typical of you.

Isn’t he an old man and on his way out? You should be worried about Rafa, his foot, his MTO’s, his time warnings, his coaching violations, none of which Fed worried about or anyone else on his 16 record breaking holding slams.

Rafa still has to play in this generation, which he is in his prime, so the expectations are huge. Fed is almost 30, in 2 years will be 32, very old for tennis.

I am at peace with my fav, he has NOTHING to prove, He has set the mark, so go ahead and trash talk some more, the records stands no matter what vomit you spew on this blog.

Congratulations to Nole!
When he won Roger’s Masters – Montreal, Canada in 2007, I predicted him to win grandslams, and reach world No.1 before 2012.
Well, he has done it!

Btw, after Nole lost to Roger in FO – Semi, I commented that “it’s just matter of time before Nole reaches No.1 ranking”, smart tennis followers knew what I meant.
I had very strong intuition that he will get No.1 ranking with his performance in Wimbledon.
I also said that it’s good thing that he pulled out of Aegon. Well, he is in Wimby final, so that worked too.

Regarding Sunday’s final between Rafa & Nole:
To be honest, most of us tennis fans would agree that it’s a dream final.
I know many will argue that Rafa – Roger would have been better.
But let’s face it, no disrespect to Roger, but he hasn’t beaten Rafa in (any) grandslam since Wimbledon – 2007!
Between Rafa & Nole, this match could go either way. I think this is the closest you can get to 50-50 chance for either player in a grandslam final!
It’s very likely that Rafa might play match of his life this Sunday, to prove to himself (and to the world) that he is better than Nole, even though Nole has No.1 ranking coming Monday.
It’s also possible that Rafa has that slight doubt in his head that he just can’t beat this new improved Nole.
Not sure how the pressure will play tricks with Nole…he has the No.1 ranking sealed, but certainly wants the Wimbledon title to stamp his authority on No.1 ranking.

I am hoping for a 5 set final, (and Nole winning the fifth set crazy 16-14 something). But, I won’t be surprised if Rafa wins it.

Regarding Roger:
I believe that he can win one more grandslam, (even though I hope he won’t).
He hasn’t won a grandslam since Australian Open 2010, (that’s no title in last 6 grandslams). Last time he didn’t win grandslam in a year was 2002. I think he will give it all this USOpen.

Falsefan,
LOL….what happened to ur prediction that Rafa will not win a slam this year ?
I guess u had to eat a lot of crow shit. First clean ur mouth with some acid and then come and talk….smells horrible.

I never said Rafa won’t win a slam. I said he will only win the French Open. So lets see who’s right.

Of wait, Djokovic has beaten Nadal in 7 of their last 9 matches, including the last 4, including the last two on clay! Looks like Nadal has now become Djokovic’s bitch. And an all surface bitch, I must say!!